


again and again

by Nyxate



Category: League of Legends
Genre: Blood, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Major injuries, Violence, everything will be okay :)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-28
Updated: 2019-10-28
Packaged: 2021-01-05 20:33:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,943
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21214658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nyxate/pseuds/Nyxate
Summary: Ekko believed him. The confidence in his voice, the sparkle in his eyes, the way he clutched his gauntlet with his other hand, ready to fire anything that came his way.He believed he’d be okay.





	again and again

**Author's Note:**

> my first league fic and it's ekkoez. sorry if it's out of character i don't know how to read i hate ezreal

"C'mon, Ekko, it'll be fine! There's nothing I can't handle."

That's how it all started. The confidence in those words is something Ekko would come to regret believing.

-

A task had been given to them: defend the dragon. Word was that there was someone out to kill it and take its power for themselves. Ekko and Ezreal were to defend the dragon until reinforcements appear.

Ekko, who liked to think of himself as a reasonable person, denied it. Why couldn't they find someone else? Was there really no one else around to do it? Not that he was afraid, no, of course not. He's seen way too much to be afraid of a dragon.

"Easy enough." Were the first words out of the stupid blonde's mouth. Ekko turned on his heel quicker than he'd like to admit. Ezreal, of course, had that cocky grin of his displayed on his face. Ekko...hated it. Or he pretended he did.

"Are you stupid?" Ezreal opened his mouth to reply, but Ekko quickly shut him down. "Don't answer that, I already know."

"I'll have you know I'm _ quite _ smart." The other replied with a huff, crossing his arms. His grin fell, turning into a look of annoyance. "It's just a dragon, Ekko. We can defend it from some stupid thief, or whatever."

"Okay, and what if something goes wrong?"

"Nothing will go wrong! This is _ me _ we're talking about. I don't do anything wrong!" There was that grin again. Ekko decided that no, he definitely hates it.

"You really are an idiot Piltie. I can't stand you." A lie.

"Whaaaatever. Your loss."

"Um?" Ekko squinted at Ezreal, confused. "What do you _ mean, _ 'my loss'?"

"I mean, _ I'm _still going." He said proudly. Ekko waited for him to say 'haha, just kidding!' but unfortunately, that didn't happen. "Can you imagine if I defend the dragon all by myself? Oooh, the fame that'll come rolling in. 'The incredibly smart and handsome Ezreal defended the dragon all by his lonesome!' Mm, I like the sound of that."

There was a sparkle in his eye. _ God_, Ekko hated it. Hated _ him. _ He...

"Well that's not going to happen. I'm coming with you." Hated.

"What happened to being, what was it..._ reasonable? _Or," Ezreal stepped closer to Ekko, much closer than the younger was used to. "Are you _ worried _ about me?"

"Excuse me?" Ekko took a step back, nearly falling over backwards. Usually, he'd just shove Ezreal away when he got too close (usually when Ezreal would act way too buddy-buddy with him), but this time was...different. He didn't like how much his chest swelled with a warm feeling when Ezreal started to lean in close to him. He decided he hated that, too. Getting back his composure, he glared at the blonde. "No, I'm not worried about you. You're just stupid and I know you'll get yourself killed, or something."

"Thaaat's called being worried," Ezreal grinned, taking a step towards him, effectively closing the distance between them again. Not as close, but close enough. "Aww, worried about lil ol me? I'll be fiiine, promise you. You really don't have to come with me."

This time, Ekko shoved him away. "Shut up, Piltie. I'm NOT worried about you. You’ll just mess something up, and then I’ll get in trouble for not going. That’s all.”

“Ouch, your words hurt me, Ekko,” Ezreal placed one a hand over his heart and the other over his forehead, staggering to catch himself from Ekko shoving him. “Have some faith in me. I’m gonna be a-okay. Besides, I’m a bit of an escape artist I’ll have you know. I’ve danced around death a few times.”

“Yeah. Me too.” The silence that followed was unpleasant for both of them. Ezreal coughed, clearing his throat, before turning around and heading towards the door.

“Well, I’m uh, heading out. Gonna go get ready and stuff like that. Although,” He glanced down at his gauntlet and smiled, giving it a good tap. “I pretty much have what I need. Catch ya later, Ekko.”

“Wait, Ezreal-” Ekko went to stop him, but the door had already shut behind the blonde. He took in a deep breath, telling himself he didn’t need to follow him. That maybe, just maybe, Ezreal _ would _ be okay. It wouldn’t be the first time Ezreal had jumped head first into a risky situation and made it out alive. It was impressive, to say the least, but still stupid.

Yeah, he didn’t need to follow him. He wasn’t going to. It’d be stupid if he…

10 minutes later, he was out the door, running, chasing after the stupid Piltie he claimed to hate so much.

-

Ekko believed him. The confidence in his voice, the sparkle in his eyes, the way he clutched his gauntlet with his other hand, ready to fire anything that came his way.

He believed he’d be okay.

_ “There’s nothing I can’t handle!” _

Ezreal called to him as he ran towards the dragon’s den, before Ekko could even attempt to stop him. He ran after him, calling for him to stop, to slow down, to be careful, to-

The metallic noise of blades unsheathing made him stop quick in his tracks. He called out to Ezreal again, telling him to fall back, that it wasn’t safe. Someone was here and they-

“Ekko, come on!” Ezreal turned on his heels to face Ekko, sporting a playful grin. “It’s fine, no one’s gonna-”

The sound of a blade tearing through flesh, and an _ unbelievable _ pain following it, stopped Ezreal short, his eyes going wide. He stumbled forward, barely able to keep himself standing up. The only thing supporting his weight was the blade that had pushed through his back, protruding through his chest. His hands shaking, he touched it, smearing his own blood on his fingertips. It was definitely real, and so was the pain.

He looked up at Ekko, who was frozen, eyes just as wide- if not _ wider _than his own. Weakly, he reached a hand out to the other, knowing damn well he was out of reach. The person behind him pushed the blade forward just slightly, causing the blonde to cough up blood and struggle for breath after the fit. Ekko took a step forward, and the blade was pushed even further. Ezreal’s arm dropped, along with his body, when his attacker jerked the blade, sending the boy tumbling to the ground.

Ekko glanced at the person behind the attack, who was already heading towards the dragon’s den. The man looked back at him, flashing a proud grin back at him. Draven. Ekko would be able to recognize that stupid mustache anywhere. He watched as the Noxian walked into the den, blood- _ Ezreal’s _ blood- dripping off of the blade in his right hand. In a matter of seconds, he was gone.

Ezreal’s coughing and staggering breath is what brought Ekko’s attention away from where the awful man had vanished into the dark den. He quickly made his way over, dropping to his knees beside his dying friend. Blood was pooling around Ezreal and his eyes were barely open. His hand was resting over his wound, as if it was going to do anything. He opened his eyes just a bit more when Ekko came to his side.

“Ezreal,” Ekko’s voice was soft, just barely a whisper, almost like he was afraid to speak. When Ezreal’s dulling blue eyes met his own, he winced. “You- You’re an, an idiot, I, I told you, I told you that-”

“I know,” Ezreal’s voice was weak, his breathing uneven. “I...know. You...were right.”

He coughed, then laughed- or tried to. “Just...like always.”

“Stop talking, stupid,” Ekko’s voice didn’t have the bite it usually did. Instead, it was wavering. Ekko looked down at his wrist, eyeing the switch to his Z-Drive. Ezreal’s eyes followed.

“Ekko, it’s…” He took a deep, shaky breath, knowing _ very _ well he didn’t have much left in him. Barely having the strength, he reached his hand up just slightly, placing it over the switch, covering it. “It’s...not worth the...time.”

Ekko laughed. It was weak, sorrowful, and almost...bitter. “Luckily for you, I’m an expert on time.”

“Ekko, _ I’m _ not worth...the time. I…”

“Stop it. Stop. I, I don’t like it when you don’t act all self important,” His voice broke mid sentence, feeling himself starting to crumble. He took his own shaking hand and placed it over Ezreal’s. His skin felt so _ cold. _

“I thought you...hated it when I…” Ezreal looked back up at Ekko, his vision barely there anymore. He felt himself fading in and out. “Ekko I’m...I…don’t think I…”

“Ez, you never know when to shut up, do you?” Ekko shut his eyes with frustration. He hated him. He did, he _ really _ did. He…

...was crying.

Feeling a thumb against his cheek, he opened his eyes. Ezreal was looking up at him with a sad and weak smile, brushing away his tears with his bloodied thumb.

“Don’t...cry over me, Ekko.”

Ezreal’s eyes faded and his hand dropped to the ground with a soft thud. Ekko’s hand flew to the switch on his wrist on instinct, twisting it. He felt sick to his stomach as time rewound. Unlike most of his rewinds, where he would move a majority of the time, he was just standing still. He watched the blade leave Ezreal’s body and the wound close up, as though it had never been there in the first place. He tried to pay attention to where Draven even came from, but everything happened so fast. And he was so far away.

He pulled the cord on his Z-Drive, effectively stopping the rewind. Ezreal was still a good distance in front of him. If there was one thing Ekko was going to regret today, it was letting Ezreal walk out that door without him. It was letting those 10 minutes pass by before he finally followed him.

“Ezreal, slow down!” Ekko called out to him, trying so desperately to catch up.

“Gonna have to catch me, Ekko!” Ezreal looked behind him, sticking out his tongue. Something about seeing the light in his eyes again made Ekko’s heart swell. The feeling quickly dissipated, though, when he saw Ezreal heading towards the dragon’s den once again.

“Ezreal _ please,” _ Ekko could only hope the desperation in his voice would make Ezreal fall back. The blonde turned around, his hands on his hips.

“Come on, man. What are you so afraid of?”

A good start. Ezreal wasn’t in the same place as before. It was only a few feet, but to Ekko, it made all the difference. They weren’t going to repeat the same timeline.

That’s what he believed, anyways.

A rustle in the bush. The sound of blades unsheathing. It all felt so familiar, yet different.

“Someone’s behind you--!” Ekko tossed his timewinder in the direction of the bush, but it was too late. Draven had emerged, throwing his blade in Ezreal’s direction. Ekko felt his chest tighten with despair, but it was quickly replaced with a moment of relief when Ezreal did an arcane shift, effectively dodging it. He did that laugh that Ekko hated so much. The one that made him feel warm.

When the blade Draven tossed circled back in Ezreal’s direction, though, neither of them were ready. It slid across Ezreal’s chest in a diagonal direction, cutting through his shirt and leaving a nasty gash. The blonde stumbled backwards, struggling to keep himself up.

Ekko rushed forward, throwing another timewinder bomb. It slowed the Noxian down enough for Ekko to have the time to grab Ezreal and pull him back, away from Draven’s next slash. Ezreal lifted his left hand, aiming at Draven. He charged up and fired a mystic shot right at him, but missed him by just a hair. The Noxian lunged at them and Ekko felt himself being shoved out of the way with whatever strength Ezreal had left in him.

He fell to the ground and rolled a few feet away, the rocks leaving a few small cuts on his arms. Looking back to where he had been standing, in his place was Ezreal, with the tip of Draven’s blade digging into his skin.

No. No no no. Not again, he couldn’t- he wasn’t able to--

“Ekko,” The bite in Ezreal’s voice was something he wasn’t used to. It made him wince, more than looking at the blood dripping down Ezreal’s stomach did. The blonde rose his voice as he shot Draven in the face with a mystic shot. “Run.”

As Draven stumbled backwards, Ekko rushed to stand up. Ezreal, on the other hand, fell to his knees. Ekko watched him as he pressed his hand against his new wound, hissing in pain. When the younger stepped towards him, Ezreal shook his head.

“One of us has to make it out of here alive.” His voice was shaking. Ekko hated it. “And it’s going to be you.”

“You’re insufferable,” Ekko crouched beside him, placing his own hand over the one Ezreal had covering the cut. He had already lost enough blood from the first wound. There was no way he was going to stay awake like this. He tried to help Ezreal stand back up, but as he went to lift him, he heard a battle cry.

“This is why I HATE KIDS.” A blade, coming right for them. No- for Ezreal. If it were to land, it’d get him right in the neck, and-

Click. Rewind.

Running, again, and again, and again, and...again. Three, then four, then five, six, seven. Ezreal was always far ahead of him, far enough to where he couldn’t stop him. Each time it was different. Some were worse than others. The ones he hated the most was when he had to watch the life drain from Ezreal’s eyes right in front of him. Sometimes he’d drop dead from one blow, and others he’d bleed to death, always pleading for Ekko to not waste his time on him. Despite knowing that Ezreal had no idea about his other rewinds, Ekko despised that he seemed to say the same thing.

_ Don’t waste your time on me. _

Ekko was tired. He couldn’t take it anymore. On his 14th rewind (thought he had personally lost count), after pulling the cord, he called out to Ezreal, over and over and over and _ over-- _

He fell to the ground, chest heaving. He was so tired of running. He was never going to be able to catch up. Why? Why couldn’t he perfect it this time? Was it because Ezreal was so far ahead? Even if he cried out, ‘I know you’re going to die!’ It wouldn’t stop Ezreal. He’d laugh it off, just like he had the past 3 times, calling him ridiculous.

It made Ekko’s heart writhe. Every time he felt like he was getting closer to saving this stupid Piltie, something went wrong. He’d trip. He’d miss his bomb. Ezreal would push him out of the way, taking a fatal blow for him. Those were the ones that made him feel the worst.

“Ekko?”

Upon hearing his name, he snapped out of his sorrowful thoughts and looked up. There Ezreal was, standing in front of him, a concerned look on his stupid face. He crouched down to get level with Ekko, reaching out his hand. “What’s gotten into you? Are you _ that _ tired? And why were you calling my name like that?”

Ekko stared at him, tired eyes as wide as they could go. He lifted up a shaking hand, reaching forward and grabbing the hand Ezreal had offered him, albeit slowly. He wrapped his fingers gently around it, making sure he was real. The other didn’t say or do anything for a moment, until he leaned in closer, reaching his other hand up.

The sensation of Ezreal’s thumb on his cheek, wiping away the tears he didn’t know he was shedding, _ without _ blood on it, is what finally made Ekko fall apart. He clung to Ezreal’s arm, breaking down into tears. The blonde’s face twisted into something more than concerned, pulling Ekko towards him, and letting the other bury his face in his shoulder. Muffled, Ekko started to speak.

“You- You’re an idiot, I hate you, I-” He sputtered utter nonsense to Ezreal, mostly insults, though they lacked any sort of bite to them. God, when was the last time he cried like this? He couldn’t remember. He had always tried to keep his composure for his friends back in Zaun. While they all cried, he comforted them. Not that he thought crying was weak, not at all. “Stupid, you’re stupid, a-a, a stupid Piltie, you’re- you’re...you…”

“Whoa whoa, whoa. What did I do? Is everything okay?” Ezreal didn’t sound insulted, to say the least, though he probably should’ve been. Instead, his voice was soft, comforting. He started to shift, and there was a moment of hesitation before he wrapped his arms around Ekko. With his own shaking hands, Ekko reached up and grasped the front of Ezreal’s shirt, bunching up the fabric. He needed to make sure he wasn’t going to leave him.

After a good few minutes of silence, Ezreal spoke up again. “...are you really that worried about me?”

Ekko gave a short, sad and breathless laugh, tightening the grip he had on Ezreal’s shirt. He shook his head, lifting it to look up at the other. His face, much like earlier, was twisted with concern, but also confusion. Ekko wanted to say he hated it, but he didn’t. He was lucky enough to even be looking at him right now. He took a deep breath, trying his best to not let his voice quiver when he spoke. “I...I am. I am worried about you. I…”

He felt himself starting to cry again. Did he ever really stop? He wished he knew the answer to that question.

“I-I’m tired of seeing you- seeing you _ die, _and--”

Ezreal’s eyes widened, his face going from concerned to horrified, then falling back to concerned and sad. His grip on Ekko tightened, pulling him ever so slightly closer. His blue eyes fell to look at the Z-Drive on Ekko’s wrist, before travelling back up to meet the other’s glossy brown ones. “Ekko, why would you…”

A pause. Ekko hated the silence. It felt like hours.

“...waste your time on me?” Ekko tensed at the words. Every instance of a dying Ezreal begging him not to waste his time on him flashed through his head at once. Faded eyes, a sad smile, ice cold skin against his own. It made him feel sick to his stomach.

With the silence that followed, Ezreal took it upon himself to continue on.

“I know what you doing that does to you. You’ve told me. Is that why you’re so tired? God, Ekko, I…” The blonde reached a hand up, wiping away Ekko’s tears once again, cupping his cheek afterwards. “You’re right. You always are. I _ am _ an idiot, and...you shouldn’t have done that to yourself. Did you get hurt? You’re still feeling it, right?”

Ekko wasn’t used to this. Was he even really talking to Ezreal? It didn’t feel like it. The sheer tenderness in his voice was something Ekko never really expected coming out of Ezreal’s mouth. He leaned into his touch, giving a shaky sigh before nodding his head.

“You should’ve just left me, Ekko. If I die, that’s on me. I don’t want you stressing yourself out and getting hurt over-”

“I wasn’t going to leave you for dead!” Ekko pulled away from his hand, voice cracking when he rose his voice. “I’ve lost so many people I care about, Ezreal, all of them out of my control. I thought…”

He paused, letting go of Ezreal’s shirt, his arms falling to his sides. His voice became but a whisper, barely audible to even Ekko himself. “I thought you were...going to be another one.”

Ekko watched as Ezreal looked down at the ground, shutting his eyes for a moment. The blonde took a deep breath in through his nose, not saying a word. They sat in silence for a few minutes. He didn’t mind. The longer they sat here, the more reassured he felt that he wasn’t going to see the light be drained from Ezreal’s eyes ever again.

“...I really am an idiot, huh?” Ezreal’s tone was much softer than before, almost...too soft, and it was quivering ever so slightly. When he opened his eyes, Ekko understood why.

He was crying.

“I never meant to put you through that. I am just a reckless idiot, aren’t I. You’ve always been right about me.” A sad, strained laugh. Ezreal released his grip around Ekko, retracting back a little into himself. “I’m sorry. I know I’ll never be able to say it enough. God, I’m sorry, I’m-”

“You really do never know when to shut up, Ez,” Ekko spoke quietly, reaching out to Ezreal. This time, he was the one to wrap himself around the other, resting his forehead on his shoulder. “I’ll forgive you if you promise me that you’re not going to leave me.”

That was...definitely not how Ekko _ wanted _ it to come out. An anxious feeling crept up in his chest, curling and constricting around his heart like a snake. The longer it took Ezreal to respond, the more it squeezed.

It wasn’t until he felt Ezreal coiling his arms around him that the feeling turned into something warm. All anxiousness dissipated the moment that Ezreal, in the softest voice Ekko had ever heard him use, whispered, _ “I promise.” _

“Do you mean it?” Was his quick response, made without thinking. In the year he had known Ezreal, he was known for breaking promises. It never really bothered Ekko, because he would never make a promise with a Piltie. Well, before _ now,_ anyways.

Ekko lifted his head to look at the blonde, taken aback at how...tender his expression was. His blue eyes were glossed over from crying (as were Ekko’s own), but there was something else hidden in them. It was something almost...familiar to him, but at the same time, it wasn’t. The only time he could recall it was when Ezreal was looking at Lux, maybe, but it didn’t look half as real as it did now.

...oh.

Their faces were much closer than Ekko had realized, too. He felt his face heat up when Ezreal pressed their foreheads together, not breaking their eye contact.

“This is the one promise I’ll keep.”

Ekko hated Ezreal’s voice. He hated the way he spoke those words- a gentle tone, so reassuring, but with a hint of confidence behind them that tied everything together and let Ekko know that he _ meant _ it.

Before anything else could happen, Ezreal pulled himself away from Ekko, but kept his grip around him so that when he stood up, Ekko went up with him. It took the younger a moment to balance himself, forgetting how tired he was from running so long. He glanced behind Ezreal, eyes setting on the dragon’s den that was in the distance. Looking at it made him feel sick, but less so when he had the blonde standing with him.

“We had a reason for coming here, didn’t we? Come on. We got this.” Ezreal’s voice was back to normal- stupidly confident, loud. Obnoxious. The grin on his face and sparkle in his eyes felt so familiar to Ekko.

This time, though, he knew everything was going to be okay.

**Author's Note:**

> i dont hate ezreal and i felt so bad hurting him in this fic but c'est la vie haha anyways like comment and subscribe please&thank you


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